Cultivator.



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THEoDoRE D. TERRY, OF JAMEsPoRT, NEW YORK.

CU LTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,153, dated April 22, 1902.

i Application filed February 14, 1902. Serial No. 94,061. (No model.)

useful improvements in cultivators of that class employing a rigid center beam and laterally-adjustable side beams, said side beams diverging rearwardly, and means whereby the side beams may be expanded or moved away from the center beam to increase the width of the machine, or said side beams may be moved inward or brought closer to the center beam to decrease the Width of the machine.

An essential object of this invention is to place the adjusting devices within easy control of`the operator and to so connect" theml with the handles that the vertical movements of the latter through suitable connections will be imparted to the side beams to move them inwardly or outwardly, as may be desired.

The invention consists, essentially, of a movable handle and connections between said handle and the side beams, whereby the latter may be adjusted in lateral planes by th operator moving the handle.

The invention also consists of the parts and the constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts, which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which simi! lar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cultivator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 3 is a rear end view.

In carrying out my invention I construct the longitudinal central beam A and the side beams B in any appropriate manner and of any desired form and materia1,said side beams having their front ends pivotally mounted between the projecting ends of transverse plates 2, xed to the center beam, and said side beams diverging rearwardly in the manner common to this class of cultivators. The

beams are also furnished with any well-known arms or members 11 12.

and desired form of shovels or teeth 3 or other cultivating attachment.

At the frontend of the central beamAis a colter or wheel C, and a clevis or draft attachment D of any suitable character is also provided for the attachment of the team.

At the rear end of the beam A is broadiiat plate or gage D, having a forked portion vor arms 4 extending upwardly and secured to opposite sides of the beam. This device serves as a depth-gage for the machine.

The inclined operating-handles E have their lower or front ends secured to a plate 5, secured to the center beam at 6, said handles having their rearward portions connected t0 the arms 7 of a U-shaped yoke F, having a cross-bar 8 near its center and having a perforation 9 in its bottom.

Rising from the central beam is a pin or `stud G, which passes through the perforation 9 and'through a like perforation 10 in the cross-bar 8 of the yoke, that portion of the pin between the underside of the cross-bar and the bottom of the yoke being encom passed by a coiled spring H, which bears up under the cross-bar and supports the handles with aspring-pressure, normally holding the handles in their elevated position andthe side bars in their inward or contracted position.

In order that the side bars maybe expanded or moved outwardly to increase the width of the machine and to enable the operator to effectthis movement without difficulty and the unlatching of parts, but simply by the manipulation of the spring-supported handles,

I providea mechanism which may corre spend substantially to the following: On the `central beam A is fixed a bracket or support J, which may be forked or provided with two In one of these arms-say the arm l1is fulcrumed the anjgle 'of a 4bell-crank lever K, one arm 13 of which is` substantially horizontal and extends rearwardly and is bolted or otherwise con.- nected to the yoke-say to the cross-bar 8 thereof-while the other arm lvextends substantially vertically and has its upper end pivotally connected `toone end of av bar L, having notches or teeth and extending rearwardly through a guide 14, formed in or on a vertically-disposed lever M, whose lower portion is fulcrumed in the other arm or member I2 of the bracket or support J, said lever M having also apin or stud 15in its guide to be engaged bythe notches or teeth ofthe bar L, holding the lever M in the position desired and controlling the lateral movement of the side beams of the machine.

On the central beam is slidably mounted a sleeve N, having spaced ears or lugs I6 projecting from its upper surface and between which the short arm 17 of the lever M is pivotally mounted, whereby the movements of the lever result in the sleeve being moved forwardly or rearwardly along the beam A and the side beams being expanded or contracted, according to the direction of movement of the lever, due in the first instance to the movement of the spring-supported handles, as the intention is to have the side bars respond to the least movement of the handles, thereby placing the machine absolutely under the control of the operator and permitting him to control the effective width of the machine without resorting to any manipulation or adjustment of auxiliary mechanical parts.

Between each of the side beams and the central beam is a pair of wide hinged plates O, inclined with relation to each other and vertically disposed on edge and connected along their meeting edges by pins-passing through sockets in the manner common to leaf-hinges, said sockets having preferably screw-caps 20 to admit lubricant to the hingejoints and to prevent the ingress to these joints of particles of dirt and foreign matter. The outer edges of the hinge members are forked and straddle the inner sides of the central and side beams and are pivotally secured, as before described, or in any other well-known manner, and to the under side of the slidable sleeve N are pivotally connected one end of inclined links P, whose opposite ends are pivotally secured to or upon the journal-pins of the hinges.

From this description of the parts it will appear that the springs which support the handles are intended to be sufiiciently powerful to elevate the said handles to their fullest extent or extreme height. When the operator Wishes to increase the width of the machine-say to meet any irregularities of the rows of plants-he simpl;7 presses down upon the handles, which action depresses the spring which supports the handles and rocks the bell-crank lever K, causing the latter to in turn rock the lever M about its fulcrum and move the sleeve N forwardly along the central beam. As the sleeve is thus moved forward the links P are straightened out or brought more nearly in a straight line with each other, thereby straightening out the members ot' the hinges O, which connect the side and central beams, and forcing the side beams away from the central beam and increasing the operating width of the machine. lVhen the pressure upon the handles is released, the springs again elevate the latter,

and the connections operate the reverse of that just described and draw the side beams inward to normal position. The adjustment of the cultivator is therefore eilected through the movement of the handles and without necessitating the operator reaching over and shifting a lever or other part or altering some fixed adjustment, which operations are objectionable because of the danger incident to moving a lever or altering an adjustment while the machine is in motion and because of the delay which must occur if the team is stopped to make the new adjustment.

By using a notched bar L the notches hold the lever M in the position desired and do away with the spring-latch that is usually employed, thus leaving the lever free to act with the motion of the bell-crank lever K and handles.

The movement of the handles controls the lateral movement ot' the side bars to meet any irregularities in the space between rows of plants to be cultivated, which enables the operator to work close to the plants without injuring them. For instance, potatoes and cabbage-rows are usually about two and onehalf or three feet apart, while rows of corn are about three and one-half or four feet apart. Now to change from cultivating rows of the first-named plants to rows of the lastnamed the operator will simply slip the lever M along the notched bar L until the cnltivatorshovels on the side bars are wide enough or narrow enough to pass between the rows without trouble, and then the handles will be manipulated to meet the irregularities and the cultivater-shovels will be permitted to work close to the plants without doing injury to the latter and saving time and labor in hoeing. The notched bar L will enable the operator to make the slightest changes in adjustment, whereas in the old form of spring-latch sometimes used there would be a difference of several inches in the width of the cultivator, thereby making the adjustment unsatisfactory.

I-Iaving thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a cultivator having a central beam and laterally-adjustable side beams, means for adjusting said side beams including a spring-supported handle and connections between the same and the side beams whereby the latter are actuated by the movement of the handle.

2. In a cultivator having a central beam and laterally-adjustable side beams, means for adjusting said side beams comprising a spring-supported handle, hinged connections between the side and central beams, and a lever mechanism between the handle and the side beams for adjusting the latter by the movement of the former.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of laterally-movable springpressed side beams, a vertically movable handle, and connections between the handle IOO IIO

and beams for moving the latter transversely when the handle is moved vertically.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination'with laterally spring-supported, normally elevated side beams, of a movable handle and means interposed between the handle and beams for moving the' latter laterally by power derived from the former.

5. In a cultivator the combination with a central beam and pivotally mounted side beams, of a movable handle, a spring-support therefor tending to normally elevate the same, hinged connections between the side and central beams, a slide on the central beam and connections between the slide and the said hinged connections, anda lever mechanism between the handles and the slide whereby the depression of l[he handles operates the lever connections and slide and moves the side beams outwardly.

6. In acultivator, the combination of the central beam and the laterally-movable side beams, hinged connections between the beams, a slide on the central beam and links connecting the same with the hinge connections, a vertically-movable handle having a yoke, a pin passing from the central beam into the yoke, a spring encompassing the pin and bearing Vupwardly against the yoke,`to

normally elevate the handle, a bell-crank le`v In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- ,Y

THEODORE D. TERRY. Witnesses:

A ARDEN S. FREDERICK,

JOHN L. YOUNG. 

